Loyalty in the Pit
by Fandomet07
Summary: Percy is accused of being a traitor and is sent to Tartarus. His friends try to save him while the gods argue. (Sorry I suck at summaries)
1. chapter 1

**A/N: hey guys! This is my very first fanfic ever so please no flames but I like constructive criticism. I'm going to rate this story rated T because there is going to be torture in later chapters but the rating might change to M. I'll try to keep the torture to a minimum but if you guys think I should raise the rating tell me and I will. I realize the "gods send Percy to tartarus" story is kind of over used but I wanted to try it out. There will be no percabeth in this, probably. I am a big percabeth fan but it wouldn't work with my story. THIS IS NOT A DARK PERCY FIC!!!! Enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I OWN PERCY JACKSON!! Just kidding. I don't. *sigh* Rick Riordan owns all.**

 **Setting: 5 months after the second giant war. Olympus throne room**

Everyone's pov:

Chapter 1:

"I don't understand! I've won two wars for you and saved the world multiple times! How could you all think I'm a traitor?" Percy said in disbelief.

He was being held down with celestial bronze chains in the center of the throne room. The chains cut into his wrists causing them to bleed. Dark red blood dripped onto the floor, staining it red. Most of the gods either stared at him with a emotionless expression or glared at him with hatred and disgust.

"Silence!" Yelled Zeus, his eyes flashing dangerously with anger. "There is evidence that you have been secretly communicating with the titans as well as the giants in both wars! You were their spy. It is your fault that so many demigods have died! For your crimes you shall be sent to the depths of Tartarus!"

Percy gasped in pain and shock. His will to defend and protect himself crumpled and he slumped to the floor. Percy's fatal flaw was loyalty. He had always blamed himself for the deaths of his friends in both wars, but now that he was being betrayed by his family and being told that his friends deaths were his fault, all of the pain and guilt he had managed to hold back all of these years came back at full force.

Percy's eyes darkened and lost all traces of happiness and mischief and became empty, emotionless. His posture slumped and face became blank. Percy stared straight ahead at a spot on the floor and made no move to defend himself against the accusation.

Hestia, Hades, Apollo, Artemis, and Hermes all glared at Zeus in outrage. After the giant war, Percy had turned down the gift of immortality again and instead asked for Hestia and Hades to have thrones on Olympus. "How dare you accuse him of being a traitor! His fatal flaw is LOYALTY! You are letting your pride get the best of you yet again!" Surprisingly, it was Artemis who spoke up in defense of Percy.

"Why are you defending him, daughter? He is a traitorous half blood and not to mention a boy!" Exclaimed Zeus with a bewildered expression on his face. He had expected Artemis to side with him, not with Percy.

"Percy is the only man who has earned my respect. He is brave, kind, humble, and loyal to his friends and family. He would NEVER betray us. I am surprised that you don't feel the same way, _father."_ Artemis said _father_ as if it were a disgusting piece of trash left outside in the rain all day.

Zeus stared at her is disbelief. Artemis glared at him, her eyes glowing silver. The other gods and goddesses who were on Percy's side also stood up to defend Percy. "Percy has done nothing but help us for years and you have the courage to call him a traitor!" Yelled Hermes.

The gods erupted into argument. Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Hades, and Hestia were defending Percy while the rest of the Olympians argued against Percy. Just as the argument was about to get physical, Zeus slammed his Master Bolt on the ground. "SILENCE!"

The Olympians glared at each other and returned to their seats. "We will put it to a vote." Decided Zeus.

"Shouldn't Percy's friends be able to vote as well? They were present in the wars and fought along side him." Suggested Hestia. She believed that his friends would support Percy and could help him. It also wasn't fair that the Olympians would decide Percy's fate without his friends knowing. The entire time the Olympians had been talking, Percy had barely moved and hadn't shifted his emotionless gaze from the floor.

"Very well. I shall summon them," grumbled Zeus. Zeus closed his eyes and concentrated. A few seconds later, the seven plus Thalia and Nico appeared in the throne room behind Percy. They looked around in confusion. When they realized that they were in the throne room, they immediately bowed.

Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, and Annabeth were all softly glowing with power. After the second giant war, the seven had been offered immortality. Only Leo and Percy had declined. Even Annabeth had chosen immortality over Percy. Percy's heart had shattered as he watched the love of his life chose immortality over him. After that, Annabeth had broken up with Percy and went to work with Athena. Percy had returned to camp half blood to continue his training. He was never the same Percy after Annabeth broke up with him. Not as happy, more serious.

When the demigods raised their heads and caught sight of Percy wrapped in chains, they gasped in shock and horror. Thalia and Nico were the first ones to snap out of their stupor. They both rushed to percy and knelt down beside with, their voices laced with concern. "Percy what's wrong?! Are you ok? Why are you wrapped in chains? Oh gods Percy your bleeding!" Thalia and Nico continued to fire question after question at Percy trying to get an answer from him. Percy didn't even move his head to acknowledge that they were there. He just sat on the floor as still as a statue. The only sign that he was still alive was the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

"Percy?" Nico waved his hand in front of Percy's face and when Percy didn't even blink, Nico turned to the gods. "What's wrong with our cousin?" Nico said in a concerned and slightly angry voice.

Hestia answered in a angry voice before any of the other gods could. "Percy was brought here against his will. He has been accused of being a traitor to Olympus." Her voice changed to that of a concerned mother. "He hasn't moved from that position since Zeus blamed him for the deaths of all the demigods that died in the wars. I believe he has gone inside his mind to try and protect himself from all the pain and guilt he feels," she said sadly.

The rest of the demigods had gathered around Percy, seemingly protecting him from the gods. Only Annabeth, Jason, and Piper refused to come near Percy. "How do you know it's not true? Percy could be a traitor. He always seemed to know where the enemy would be and what they would do, and then we would fight them and something would go wrong!" snarled Jason. He had never really liked Percy. He thought Percy was too powerful and lucky and that his humble and loyal nature was just an act to get more attention.

Thalia looked at Jason with disgust written on her face as well as everybody else who was on Percy's side. "I can't believe I ever thought of you as a brother. I am ashamed of you, Jason. Percy trusted you!" shouted Thalia angrily.

Jason just snorted and kept his feet planted where they were. It was obvious that he wasn't going to back Percy. Piper might have thought Percy was innocent but she would never do anything to threaten her relationship with Jason, so she stayed where she was and gave Thalia an apologetic look.

"And _you!"_ Thalia yelled, turning to look at Annabeth. "Percy has given up so much for you! He even fell into Tartarus for _you_! And you want to send him back?! For a child of Athena, you aren't very wise," snarled Thalia.

Annabeth's eyes flashed in anger and her fists clenched. She took a step foreword as if to attack Thalia right there and then but she restrained herself at the last second. She stood firmly next to Jason and Piper and made no move to stand by Percy.

Zeus cleared his throat. "We brought you here on the request of Hestia to vote on the fate of Perseus Jackson!" boomed Zeus. "Those who believe Perseus is innocent, raise your right hand."

Of the gods, only Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Hades, and Hestia raised their hands. Of the demigods Leo, Frank, Hazel, Thalia, and Nico raised their hands. Zeus did a mental count in his head and smirked to himself. "Those who believe Perseus is guilty and should be sent to Tartarus, raise your right hand."

Of the gods Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, Demeter, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Hera, Poseidon, and Zeus raised their hands. Of the demigods Annabeth, Jason and Piper rose their hands. The gods who voted Percy innocent stared at Poseidon in shock. "Dad...why?" whispered a weak voice. The gods and demigods turned around and stared at Percy. This was the first time he had spoken the entire time. Percy's eyes were broken and sad. He still hadn't moved from his sitting position and his blood was still dripping onto the floor. He stared at Poseidon, disbelief and pain clear on his face.

Poseidon just stared at Percy, a cold expression on his face. "You have no right to call me _dad_. I hereby disown you. You are no son of mine." Percy widen his eyes in shock and pain as he felt his powers over water leave him. There was know a piece of his soul missing and he felt empty inside. Percy felt Riptide disappear from his pocket and saw it reappear in Poseidon's hand.

Suddenly, Poseidon's face turned from determined to shock as Riptide disappeared from his hand and returned to Percy. "What-how?" stuttered Poseidon.

"The sword must be as loyal to Percy as he is to Olympus. It would never abandon him," Nico said smugly.

Poseidon became angry and many places on the coast were experiencing very severe storms. Zeus patted his brothers arm in a comforting way and said, "Even if Perseus still has his sword, he still won't survive where he is going."

Zeus was right. The vote was 12-10 and it wasn't in Percy's favor. The demigods minus Jason, Piper, and Annabeth circled around Percy and drew their weapons. They got into a defensive position and prepared to fight. "Guys... stop," mumbled Percy. Percy smiled tiredly. "It's ok."

"But Percy-" protested Hazel.

"Hazel, I don't want people to fight and get hurt because of me. I make it through Tartarus, I did it once already." Percy laughed weakly and turned to Zeus. Zeus was smirking triumphantly.

"Prepare yourself for Tartarus traitor!" yelled Zeus, and before anyone could do anything Zeus threw his master bolt at Percy. His friends cried out and the gods who voted for Percy's innocence stood from their thrones to try and stop Zeus, but it was too late. The master bolt struck Percy in the chest and Percy screamed a blood curling scream and dissappeared in a bright flash of light. Percy was gone.

 **A/N: And there's the first chapter for you! Please review and no flames please. Fandomet07 out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed and encouraged me to keep writing this story! Now I present to you, Chapter 2!!!!**

 **Disclaimer: sadly I don't own percy Jackson. Sad day.**

 **Setting: Tartarus**

Percy's pov

Chapter 2:

Percy was falling. And falling. And falling. The pitch black tunnel seemed endless. When he and Annabeth had fallen together, the fall hadn't seemed so bad because he had had Annabeth with him. Now that he was alone, the fall seemed more menacing. It also didn't help that the scenes of watching his friends die kept playing over and over again in his head. Percy squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the memories.

After a few moments, Percy sighed and opened his eyes. The memories still hadn't stopped but they weren't as intense. Now they were just sounds, images, feelings.

Gradually, he could start to see the outline of his hands. A reddish glow began engulf him as he fell further down. He could start to make out the rock walls of the tunnel. He looked down trying to see the bottom, but it wasn't light enough to see anything other than a few feet in front of him yet.

So, instead of looking for his destination, he instead retreated inside his mind yet again.

 _Why did they think I was a traitor?_ thought Percy. _Why did they send me here? Why?_

Percy's anger grew as he thought about everything the gods had done to him, had done to others. But as soon as the anger appeared, it disintegrated. Percy sighed. He could never be angry at the gods. Sure, they had done bad things to himself and others but they had also helped him and their children. Besides, he couldn't turn on them. His fatal flaw was loyalty. He would always stay loyal to the Olympians.

Finally, the tunnel opened up into a cavern. As Percy fell, he could see the _arai_ and other winged demons flying in the blood red clouds. In the distance, he could see the fiery red glow of the River Phlegethon. The ground was littered with jagged cliffs and mountains. The sulfurous smell clouded his head and made it hard to think straight. He searched the ground for a water source like last time to help cushion his fall.

Fortunately for him, there was a river nearby. The waters were pitch black and seemed restless. The water crashed into its banks angrily, as if trying to destroy everything in its way.

Percy tried to angle himself so that he would crash into the river. He could only hope that it wasn't the Lethe or Styx. The river rushed up to greet him. Percy tried to control the water so that it would cushion his fall, but then he remembered that he no longer had powers over water. Percy's eyes widened in horror as he came closer and closer to the surface.

Percy prepared himself for impact and hoped he wouldn't die on contact.

Percy slammed into the water so hard that, if he hadn't been anyone but a powerful demigod, all of his bones seemed to almost shatter. The moment the water touched his skin, Percy's body erupted into tremendous pain. It felt as if a thousand knives were piercing his skin. His throat burned and his lungs felt like they were on fire. Percy writhed in pain and struggled to crawl out of the river. The pain made it seem like the Styx was a bubble bath. He finally felt the broken glass of the river bank beneath his hands and feet and managed to drag himself out of the river.

Once he was a good distance from the water, Percy flipped himself on his back and gasped for air. As the pain slowly faded away, Percy's mind caught up with what had just happened. Everything hurt and it felt as if his entire body had been boiled alive. Percy guessed that he had landed in the River Acheron. The River of Pain. Not his favorite river in the underworld.

Percy pulled himself up into a sitting position and looked at his surroundings. In the distance, jagged mountains pierced the blood red clouds. On his left, steep cliffs dropped off into nothingness. The ground was made of broken glass and littered with sickly yellow monster blisters.

Strangely, Percy hasn't been attack by any monsters yet. He had expected to be bombarded with monster attacks the moment he set foot in Tartarus. Percy frowned in confusion and stood up. He pulled out his trusty sword Riptide and uncapped it. The sword expanded into a three foot long, double edged blade glowing softly in the darkness of Tartarus. Percy felt a bit more confident holding his sword in his hands and started walking towards the fiery red glow of the Phlegeton. He knew that if he wanted to survive he would have to stay near the River of Fire so that he could drink from it. Even if it did taste horrible.

Halfway there, the monster attack he was expecting finally happened. Percy was climbing over a particularly large rock when suddenly about fifty monsters surrounded him. They came from behind rocks, in the sky, and newborn monsters from their blister. They made sure that Percy would have no chance to escape.

Percy hefted his sword and surveyed the monsters. There were hell hounds, _empousai,_ Cyclopes, wild centaurs, and various flying demons, including _arai._ The monsters growled and hissed at him. Percy got into a defensive stance and prepared to defend himself.

After a few seconds of silence, an overconfident Cyclopes decided to attack. He charged at Percy, his spiked metal club raised above his head. The Cyclopes went to bring down the club on Percy's head, but Percy sidestepped and stabbed the Cyclopes in the stomach. The Cyclopes fell and disintegrated to dust.

The rest of the monsters roared in rage and attacked all at once. Percy's mind went on auto pilot as he sliced, spun, parried, and stabbed with his sword. Percy killed everything in his path. Even without his water powers, the monsters were no match for Percy. Soon, all that was left of the monsters were piles of dust surrounding a panting and tired demigod.

Percy should have felt good about himself after his victory, but all he felt was pain and weariness. Being in Tartarus had not helped with the painful memories of his friends dying replaying themselves over and over again in his mind. If anything, they seemed to be getting worse. Now instead of just showing ther deaths, he would also hear them telling him it was all his fault that they're dead. That he could have saved them. Percy squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his hands to his temples, trying to block them out.

"Well, if it isn't the hero of Olympus, Percy Jackson."

Percy snapped his eyes open and raised his sword. He knew that voice. That voice had haunted his dreams for months after the war. Percy spun in a circle, trying to locate where the voice was coming from. Percy shouted into the darkness, "Are you a coward? Show yourself and fight!"

The voice only chuckled and said,"Nice try little hero, but I have bigger plans for you."

Percy then felt something hit him on the back of the head and his vision turned black.

 **A/N: And there's chapter 2 for ya! Hope you guys liked it and don't forget to review!**

 **Until next time...**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:...**

 **Disclaimer: *sigh* I don't own Percy Jackson. *glares at rick* there you happy?**

 **Setting: Olympus, right after they send Percy to Tartarus.**

Chapter 3:

Thalia couldn't believe it. Percy was gone. Sent to Tartarus for something he didn't even do. Gone in a flash of light. How could the gods think that Percy was a traitor? Were they really that dense?

Thalia's blood boiled as her rage grew. She started smoking and throwing off sparks. Thalia glanced at the other demigods and gods who had voted for Percy's innocence and saw that they were all seething with rage. Leo's skin was smoking and it looked as if his eyes were made of fire. Frank had his fists clenched and was glaring at the king of the gods so hard that if looks could kill, Zeus would be a pile a dust. Hazel's eyes were flashing dangerously and the mist swirled around her, creating a mistly twister with her in the center. Nico had shadows surrounding him and waves of darkness and anger were rolling off him like waves.

The gods who voted for Percy's innocence were so angry that the extreme amounts of power coming off them should have killed the demigods. The demigods realized that the only reason they were still alive was because Hestia was shielding them with her godly powers.

Finally, Thalia couldn't hold it in anymore. She exploded. "HOW DARE YOU! ALL PERCY HAS EVER DONE FOR US IS HELP US!! HE WOULD NEVER BETRAY US! FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS, HIS FATAL FLAW IS LOYALTY! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU COULD BE DUMB ENOUGH TO BELIEVE THAT PERCY IS A TRAITOR!"

Zeus's face grew red with anger. "YOU WILL NOT SPEAK TO THE KING OF THE GODS LIKE THAT! NO DAUGHTER OF MINE WOULD EVER GO AGAINST HER FATHER!"

Thalia was seething with rage and still throwing off sparks. Her clear blue eyes were flashing dangerously as she glared at Zeus. She opened her mouth to retort and was stopped short when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head and met Nico's eyes. He gave her a warning look and Thalia signed and returned her gaze to Zeus.

"What evidence did you have that Percy was a traitor?" spat Leo. The fire in his hair had spread so that his entire body was engulfed with the hot flames. There was no happiness or mischief glinted in his eyes, only anger.

Zeus suddenly looked uncomfortable, which was unusual considering that his pride should have restrained that. "Well, there isn't really any physical evidence. We were tipped off by an unknown person."

Frank stared hard at Zeus and said in a deathly calm voice,"So your telling us that you sent Percy to Tartarus because some shifty, unknown person that none of us have ever actually seen told you that he was a spy."

The gods who voted for Percy's banishment were starting to look uneasy and shifted on their thrones. Zeus paled. "I-"

"SHUT UP! Did this mystery person swear on the Styx that what he said was true? For all we know in could have been a minion of Gaea or Kronos. Not to mention all of the other enemies Percy has made over the years!" yelled Nico. "Apollo is the god of TRUTH. And he voted for Percy's innocence. What does that tell you?"

"Zeus, summon the man who told you Percy was a traitor. I want to have a talk with him," said Artemis with an evil glint in her eye.

Zeus shifted in his throne. "I've never actually _seen_ him. He commuticated with me telepathically."

"Why not just ask Iris to show Percy's memories during both wars to see if he had any contact with the enemy?" suggested Jason. Thalia glanced at him and noticed he looked uncertain and his eyes were flickering around the throne room, never staying in one place for too long.

Zeus seemed to think about it. Finally he shrugged and said,"I see no problem with it. Hermes, pull up an Iris message showing Perseus's memories."

Hermes complied and waved his hand. An iris message appeared and the demigods sat down in the floor to get comfy, for they were going to be here a while.

THIS*IS*A*LINE*THIS*IS*A*LINE*THIS*IS*A*LINE*

A few hours later, the memories ended and the gods and demigods who had voted for Percy's banishment were shell shocked and horrified while the gods and demigods who had voted for Percy's innocence were triumphant.

For a moment it was silent, then the room exploded into yelling. "PERCY IS INNOCENT! GET HIM OUT OF TARTARUS! HE US NOT MEANT TO BE THERE!" yelled Thalia. She could hear the other demigods and gods yelling at Zeus to let Percy out. Even Jason seemed to want Percy out of Tartarus. Thalia looked at Annabeth and saw that she, along with Athena, remained where they were and refusing to believe that Percy was innocent. _Well if she believes that Percy is a traitor after everything Percy has done for her and others,_ Thalia thought, _then she is dumber than a pile of cow dung._

The yelling continued until Zeus had finally had enough. He stood from his throne and threw his master bolt into the center of the room. "SILENCE!"

Once the room had quieted down, Zeus sat back down and sighed heavily. "It seems that we-no I-have been tricked. Hades, is there anyway to bring he boy back?"

Hades glared at Zeus distastefully. "Unfortunately, there is no way to bring him back. I have no control over Tartarus. He will have to escape by himself."

"What if a quest was issued to go and save Percy?" asked Jason hopefully. He wanted to apologize to Percy and try to rebuild the bond that he had broken.

Hades looked at Jason sadly. "No. It is against the ancient laws of Tartarus. Percy will have to survive and, hopefully, escape on his own."

Everyone was frozen in shock. Percy was stuck in Tartarus for something he didn't do and know one can save him. Percy had to survive a place that kills demigods and creates monsters by himself. And this time, he is on his own.

 **A/N: Well there's chapter 3! I hoped you guys enjoyed it! Don't worry I have some torture coming in the next chapter. Don't forget to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks to everybody who followed and favorited my story! Many of you have been saying that this story is feeling rushed. I reread it and I totally agree with you. I will try to do better on this chapter. FYI time is the same in Tartarus as the upper world or whatever. Now I present to you... chapter 4!**

 **Disclaimer: *mumbles* I don't own Percy Jackson**

 **Setting: Tartarus**

Chapter 4:

Percy groaned and slowly opened his eyes. His head was throbbing and he could feel a trickle of blood making it way down his face. He tried to move his arms to wipe the blood away but for some reason he couldn't move. Percy turned his head and saw that both of his hands were chained above his head. He tried to pull the chain free but it did no good. Percy looked down and saw that his feet were also chained to the floor. He could still move his legs around but only a couple of feet in any direction.

Percy studied his surrounding and decided he didn't like what he saw. He was in a small room with a big, silver, metal door across from him. The walls were a rusty brown and covered in what he hoped what wasn't dried blood, although the smell said otherwise. The room was bare except for a shiny table in the corner of the room. The table had various weapons with spikes and jagged edges that were designed to create the most pain possible.

Percy shuddered and turned away. The weapons were there to try and scare him. Percy wasn't scared of a few weapons, he'd fought way too many monsters and divine beings to be scared very easily. Percy felt that Riptide was still in his jeans pocket. That reassured him slightly but he wouldn't be able to use it if he couldn't reach it and his hands were chained above his head.

Just then the door opened and in walked his least favorite Titan. "Kronos," snarled Percy.

Kronos smiled menacingly. "I'm so happy that you remember me Perseus. It's been such a long time."

Percy just glared at him and chose not to say anything. Kronos's smile only widen at Percy's silence. "I have so many plans for you! We are going to have so much fun together! I have many monsters and titans who would like to have some revenge for killing them, such as the three gorgans, the Minotaur, _arai,_ some old king, And let's not forget a couple of giants as well. Oh! And you even have a primordial goddess who would love to torture you. Unfortunately, she doesn't have enough power to create anything more than a image of herself and she definitely cant become solid so she won't be joining us anytime soon."

Percy's eyes widened. Torture. They were going to torture him. "Your sick!"

Kronos looked at him with mock disappointment. "Now Percy, that's not very nice to say. I've spent all this time preparing for your visit, making sure everything is perfect just for you. You should be honored that I have spent my time to make your stay the most painful I can."

"Honored that I'm about to be tortured by a sadistic titan? Your sick as well as crazy," scoffed Percy.

Kronos snarled and his piercing golden eyes flashed. He dragged his long, dirty, yellow finger nails along the wall, creating a high pitched sound that cut into his head. "Your lucky that I want you alive. If you were dead I wouldn't be able to have any fun. It gets kind of boring down here after a while without anything to play with."

Kronos walked over to the table and picked up a small knife. Then, with lightning speed, Kronos turned and threw the knife at Percy. Percy saw the knife flash as it raced towards him. The knife buried itself in his left shoulder and pinned him to the wall. Percy involuntarily cried out and tried to remain still. The more he moved the more it would hurt. Kronos walked to Percy and yanked the knife out of his shoulder, freeing Percy from the wall. Percy clenched his jaw and refused to give Kronos the satisfaction of hearing his screams. Dark, red blood spilled out of the wound on his shoulder. It ran down his torso and dripped onto the floor. Percy stared at it for a moment then turned back to Kronos.

"How do you even have a body? Luke destroyed you! You were never supposed to have enough power to get a physical form again," gasped Percy. The pain from his shoulder and the blood loss was starting to make him feel dizzy.

Kronos was smiling wickedly. "Technically, I don't. This form is only temporary. I have been forced to feed off the energy of lesser monsters in this pit to maintain this form." Kronos looked disgusted as he looked down at himself. "It is not my preferred way to gain power but it is necessary. Although, now that I have you I can just feed off your energy. Normally I could just use some other demigods energy but you are the ultimate prize. You are the strongest demigod of this age. Who better than you to supply me with the power to create a superior physical form?"

Percy bared his teeth at Kronos and strained against the chains. Kronos just smirked at him and started walking towards the door. "I think I'll come back later when your more... _willing_ to behave."

The door slammed shut and Percy drooped in his chains. The longer he stayed here the weaker he would get. Percy was already feeling light headed and drowsy, and the visions of his friends deaths were coming back at full force. The voices were echoing in his head, leaving no room for anything else. _All your fault. You could have saved us. You could have done something. Coward. Useless. Weak._ Percy squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out he voices of his friends.

The voices only grew louder as time passed. _POWERLESS. WORTHLESS. MURDERER._ Tears leaked out of the corners of Percy's eyes. The word murderer echoed in his head. It wasn't his fault they were dead... was it?

Suddenly, he heard Annabeth's voice in his head. He still loved her. Even after all she's put him through, after everything she's done, he still loved her. Percy was expecting to feel comfort and hope from hearing her voice and he relaxed slightly, but as soon as she started talking, he tensed. _You are stupid, vile, and cruel. You could have saved them but you didn't. You should've been the one to go inside that robot, not Bianca. It should've been you on that boat when it exploded, not Beckendorf._ Percy cringed and let his salty tears roll freely down his cheeks and fall onto the floor, mixing with his blood. It was all his fault. If he had been better, faster, smarter he could have saved them. _Zoë died because she was trying to protect you. She died because of YOU. You killed Luke. You could have saved him from Kronos, but you killed him. You are a MURDERER._

Percy screamed. It bounced off the walls and could be heard all throughout Tartarus. It was even faintly heard by a certain goddess of the hearth, and her sadness grew as she realized how much pain Percy was in. Percy's scream was filled with such pain and despair that many monsters covered their ears to try and block out the sound, but it was no use.

Percy finally fell unconscious and fell limp in his chains. His face was peaceful for the moment, as if he were up in the land of the living sleeping in his cabin after a day of training.

Kronos was pleased with Percy's pain. It seemed to fill him with strength and power. When it stopped, Kronos was disappointed to feel the strength and power slowly fade away. Kronos smiled an evil smile. He had figured out a way to gain his power back, and he would become more powerful than any titan. For now, Kronos decided, he would let Percy rest. For tomorrow was going to be a very eventful day.

 **A/N: This chapter was hard to write. I would lose inspiration and then it would come back and then disappear again. If this wasn't a very good scene please review and give me pointers to improve that. See ya later!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Happy Birthday Jason! It's a happy but also sad day because today is the day Percy and Annabeth fell into Tartarus. Remember, I'm a big Percabeth shipper even though my story doesn't have any of it. This chapter was extremely hard to write and I'm not for sure if I like how it turned out. Please give me suggestions about how to improve this in the future!**

 **Setting: not Tartarus**

 **Disclaimer: whatever. I don't own Percy Jackson. I'm gonna go over there and cry.**

Chapter 5:

It's been a week since the gods sent Percy to Tartarus. A week since the gods deemed it impossible to save him. During that week, both camps had been informed on what had happened. There had been a riot. Everybody loved Percy. Even the people who hated him had some respect for him. The children of the gods who had betrayed Percy stopped sacrificing their food for their parent and instead offered it to Hestia, Hades, Apollo, Artemis, or Hermes. They stopped honoring their parents and refused to go on quests that they were given unless it was given to them by one of the gods who voted for Percy's innocence or was a matter of life and death. It was a dangerous thing to do and Chiron was worried for the safety of his campers, but nothing bad happened to them. Chiron's worry lessened as the time went on and eventually disappeared entirely.

Thalia and Artemis had both left the throne room and returned to the hunt. They told the hunters what had happened to Percy. The hunters respect Percy for saving Artemis and because he is only decent man left in the world. They were angry at the gods for throwing the only decent man in the world in Tartarus and they immediately asked if they could go on a quest to save Percy. Artemis had explained that the ancient laws of Tartarus forbid them from saving him and that Percy would have to survive and somehow escape on his own. The hunters understood and accepted that they couldn't help. Although, they were careful about killing monsters because the more they killed up here the more Percy would have to deal with down there.

After Jason left the throne room, he had immediately gone to the Olympians library to try and find a way to help Percy. Jason wanted to save Percy and try and make amends with him. He was in the library for days searching through the high book shelves for something helpful and refused to come out until he found a way to help Percy escape from the depths of Tartarus.

Piper was at Jason's side the entire time looking through the books to try and help Percy. She had known that Percy was innocent, but she had chosen to not threaten her relationship with Jason and instead send Percy to Tartarus. Because of her, Percy was suffering in Tartarus and it was her vote that had sent him there. She refused to eat or sleep and hardly left the library along with Jason, trying to find a way around the ancient laws.

Piper and Jason were immortal, so they couldn't die from the lack of sleep and food but you could tell just by looking at them that they were not healthy. Both had dark, crescent moons under their eyes and had sunken faces. Their skin was turning a unhealthy white and they were getting thin from lack of food. The rest of the seven tried to convince them to take a break and take care of themselves but Jason and Piper didn't listen. They would just reply with, "Every minute wasted up here is another minute Percy suffers down there." Even Hestia tried to get them to rest. When nothing worked, the seven gave up and decided to just let Jason and Piper be.

Frank and Hazel had returned to Camp Jupiter. They were the ones who told the camp about Percy and what the gods have done to him. The romans, who still considered Percy a praetor even though Frank now holds that position, were outraged. Reyna and Frank managed to talk them out of doing anything drastic that would anger the gods but every night each demigod would eat a blue food in honor of Percy. Most people just did a blue drink but others would eat blue cookies or even pizza.

After the meeting, Poseidon had left and locked himself in his underwater palace. He just sat on his throne wallowing in his misery. Percy was his only and favorite son and he had sent him to Tartarus. Poseidon should've had known that Percy would never betray them. He should have remembered his fatal flaw. He should have remembered that Percy cared too much about his friends to ever risk hurting them. But instead his pride kept him from seeing the truth and now his only son was in Tartarus because of it. Why, he had even disowned him. Percy wasn't even his son anymore. Storms were devastating cities on the coast, killing thousands of people. Eventually, Tritan had to step in and try to stop the storms. Unfortunately, Tritan could only lessen the storms power not stop them entirely. Poseidon's sadness and despair was just too strong.

Annabeth left the throne room with her mother. She couldn't care less what happened to that son of Poseidon. In her opinion, he deserved it. So, instead of trying to find a way to rescue him she assisted her mother with designing a new section of buildings on Olympus. Campers stopped sacrificing food for her and her once friends hated her guts. Instead of smiles and hellos, she would get glares and insults. Annabeth didn't care though. All she cared about was making her mother proud. She became the most hated person on Olympus.

Eventually, someone had to tell Percy's mother, Sally Jackson, what had happened to him. Thalia had asked Artemis if she could go visit Sally and explain what had happened. Artemis had looked at her sadly, her silver eyes dulled. "Someone has to tell her. I think it best be you."

Artemis teleported Thalia from the forests of Montana to Sally Jackson's front door. After Sally had started writing and married Paul, they had moved to a bigger apartment. Thalia raised her hand to knock, but hesitated. She bit her lip and forced herself to knock. A few moments later, Sally opened the door. The moment she saw Thalia, her eyes lit up and a huge smile broke out on her face. She pulled Thalia into a hug saying how long it's been since she last saw her and how much she had missed her.

Thalia pulled away from the hug and looked down. Sally noticed the sadness on Thalia's face and became worried. "Thalia come inside and have a cookie. I just baked some and the chocolate chips are still melting.

Paul is at work but he should be home later."

Thalia complied and walked inside. She took a seat at the dining room table but didn't touch Sally's famous blue chocolate chip

cookies. Sally sat beside Thalia and frowned. "Thalia, normally your stuffing my cookies down your throat like you haven't eaten in years. What's wrong?"

Thalia looked at Sally with sad eyes. She took a deep breath and said,"Something bad has happened to Percy."

Sally's eyes widened in panic and fear. "What's happened to my little boy? Where is he? Is he ok? He's... he's not dead, is he?" Tears we're starting to leak out of Sally's eyes and fall down her cheeks.

Thalia had tears running down her face as well, but hers were tears of anger and frustration. "The gods sent him to Tartarus." Sally gasped and her eyes became a steely blue and her face twisted in anger. "Zeus said that they had evidence that Percy was a spy in both wars. There was a vote and Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Leo, Annabeth, Nico, and me were allowed to vote as well. Out of the gods only Hestia, Hermes, Hades, Apollo, and Artemis voted for Percy's innocence. Out of the demigods only Frank, Hazel, Leo, Nico, and me voted for his innocence. The rest of the Olympians and Jason, Piper, and Annabeth voted for him to be sent to Tartarus."

Sally looked shocked. "Both Poseidon and Annabeth voted for him to go to Tartarus?"

Thalia nodded and clenched her fists in anger. "Percy was Poseidon's only son. He should have believed in Percy and known that Percy didn't do anything except help the gods. And Annabeth... don't even get me started. I thought she loved Percy as much as he loved her but I guess I was wrong. She isn't worthy of Percy's love."

Sally's eyes held a faraway look. "My baby. Oh my poor, sweet baby." Sally broke down and started crying on Thalia's shoulder. Thalia had tears streaming down her face as well as she thought of all the horrible things that could be happening to Percy right now, at this very moment.

 **A/N: as I said before. Not for sure how much I like this chapter. I promise the next chapter will be better!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: wassup? I must formally apologize for the extremely long wait. I was moving, new school, unpacking, all that jazz. I almost lost inspiration for this story so if you guys could give me ideas in your reviews that would be amazing. *holds plate of cookies* free cookies!!!!**

 **Disclaimer: not mine. All is ricks accept the plot.**

Chapter 6:

Percy wasn't for sure how long he had been asleep, but he wished he could wake up. Normally, demigod dreams are visions of the future or things that happened in the past. And not to mention they are normally nightmares.

Tartarus made those dreams a thousand times worse. He would relieve the worst moments in his demigod life. Fighting in the war, watching his friends die, watching Annabeth fall off the cliff. But he would also have dreams about his life before he learned he was a demigod. He would watch as bullies beat him up in school, teachers whispered that he was too dumb to understand, getting insulted in the hallways. Then he would come home and watch as Gabe beat him with a belt. Sometimes he would use just his fists, but other times he would get more creative. He would use lighters, small pocket knives, or broken beer bottles. Gabe always made sure that whatever damage he caused could be concealed with makeup or clothing. After the beatings, Percy would climb into the bathtub and soak in the water. It somehow always seemed to heal him.

Percy was forced to relive the moments over and over again, until he wished he could wake up and suffer through whatever Kronos had in mind for him. Anything was better than this.

time skip 1 week*

Percy was in the middle of reliving the first time Gabe had ever beat him. He was only five years old and he had just come home after playing with some friends outside. Percy had quietly opened the door and peeked inside to make sure Gabe wasn't in sight. When he couldn't see him, Percy made a quick dash to his room. Just as he was about to open the bedroom door, a hand grabbed the back of his shirt and threw him backwards. Percy tumbled to the floor and smashed his head on the side table next to the couch.

Percy lifted his aching head and watched in fear as Gabe lumbered towards him. He was holding a half empty beer bottle and his eyes were filled with a crazy madness. He was obviously drunk. Gabe smiled cruelly and raised the bottle. Just as he was about to bring it down on Percy's head, the dream faded to blackness, Gabe's evil laughter echoing in his ears.

Percy slowly opened his eyes. The harsh red glow illuminating his cell penetrated into his head and pierced his brain.

"How was your nap?" Asked a vioce in a mocking tone.

Percy glanced up and saw Kronos leaning against the wall, watching him. Percy stared straight into those piercing golden eyes and decided it best if he remained silent.

"Before you decided it was nap time I found out something important about you. You give me energy. More specifically, when you are feeling a strong emotion such as pain, you give me power."

Percy was beginning to panic slightly. Kronos could regain his strength and rise. Kronos was going to use Percy's pain. He could escape Tartarus and hurt his friends. Despite what they have done to him, he still cared about them, even with all of the voices in his head. He heard them in the back of his mind whispering words of hate and despair.

Percy's attention was drawn back to Kronos when he heard a sizzling sound. "To find out what kind of pain gives me the most energy, I will have to experiment on you. I think I will start with something simple." Kronos pulled out a long black whip. Percy stared at it. It was both beautiful and terrifying. It had small jagged points covering every inch of the whip. It was pitch black with golden designs snaking around the weapon. Beautiful, but deadly.

Kronos snapped the whip and stalked closer to Percy, who was still chained spread eagled on the wall. Kronos flicked his hand and Percy suddenly found himself on the ground, chains pinning him to the floor. He was on his stomach with no shirt on so that his back was exposed.

Percy braced himself, waiting for the sting of the whip. _Crack!_ The whip sliced into his back and left one bloody line vertical on his back. Percy bit back his scream, refusing to give Kronos the satisfaction of heard his pain.

"Yes, yes. I feel some power but not enough. It is very little in fact, almost a trickle. I need more." Kronos snapped the whip again and left another bloody line on Percy's back. He repeated this over and over, once even lighting the whip on fire, until Percy's back was ripped to shreds. Throughout the entire session, Percy never screamed. He was grunt and moan, but never scream. He wouldn't let Kronos have that satisfaction.

The voices in Percy's head had faded into the background, barely higher than a whisper. They told him things he knew wasn't true, but it was getting harder to believe.

When Kronos finally stopped, he yelled in frustration. "It's not enough! I need more!" Percy lifted his head and stared at him, defiance filling his sea green eyes. Kronos seemed to think for a moment. He suddenly started to smile, an idea forming in his head. He turned to Percy. "I had told you that strong emotions give me power. Percy, that emotion doesn't have to be pain. Join me. You can get your revenge on the gods, on the demigods that betrayed you. You will never feel any pain again. Just swear your loyalty to me on the River Styx and you will get all your hearts desires."

Percy stared at him for a moment and then looked down at his chained wrists, rubbed raw and bloody from straining against them. He lifted his head high and stared at Kronos, determination reflecting in his eyes. "I swear on the River Styx..." Kronos smiled widely. "...that I will _never_ join you!" Kronos's face turned from smug to shocked. "My fatal flaw in _loyalty!_ I would never, _never,_ betray my family."

Kronos's eyes darkened. "You will regret that. I will make your life a living hell! You will receive the worst tortures you could possibly imagine. Tomorrow, you will wish that you had accepted my offer."

Kronos left, leaving me on the floor in my chains. Now that it was calm, the voices were growing louder by the second. _Horrible, rotten, disgusting._ They penetrated his thoughts and wormed there way into his mind. _Loser, weak, stupid._ Percy clamped his hands over his ears and curled into a ball, trying to block out the voices. _MURDERER._ Tears rolled down Percy's cheeks as he lay there all alone in the middle of hell.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: hey guys... I'm so so so so so sorry for the horribly long wait. School started, homework, band, personal problems, stress, and the lack of inspiration prevented me from writing. This is a filler chappie and a I'm sorry for making you wait so long chappie. It's short and not very good but hopefully it'll do the trick. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW. I'm losing inspiration and I need ideas and support to continue this story!!**

 **Disclaimer: not mine thankfully**

 **Chapter 7**

Thalia pov

The gods were arguing. Again. The sky was stormy and the sea was restless. Fires raged through forests and droughts wreaked havoc across parts of the country while the rest was bombarded by floods and storms. Even Camp Half Blood wasn't safe. Waves crashed onto the beach, trees blew in the wind, and the strawberry fields were in a state of dismay.

Thalia watched the storm rage from inside the Hunters cabin. Artemis had ordered them to stay at Camp Half Blood while she was on Olympus, trying to figure out a way to bring Percy back. Jason and Piper have been up in Olympus as well ever since Percy was sent to Tartarus. They haven't left the library and refuse to sleep. They both seem determined to find a way to bring Percy back.

Thalia turned away from the window and flopped onto her bed. She wished Jason would accept that Percy wasn't coming back. Percy would have to survive and, she dared to hope, escape. He escaped Tartarus before, but he had had Annabeth with him. Now he was on his own, in a place where monsters dominated and everything was bent on killing you.

Thalia could almost feel the pain Percy was in. She could almost feel the pain, despair, and the hopelessness. She couldn't imagine what he was going through. A tear leaked out of the corner of her eyes and made its way down her cheek. Her cousin was in Tartarus and she could do nothing about it. More tears trailed down Thalia's cheeks as she thought about the hopelessness of the situation her cousin was in. She let out a sob and buried her face in her pillow as a horrible voice whispered in her ear. _What if Percy never came back?_

Jason pov

Jason and Piper had been searching the library for a week now and they still haven't found anything useful that could possibly help Percy. Jason was starting to get desperate. He had been through almost every single book in this library and he found nothing. _Nothing._

Jason." He lifted his head from the book he was currently reading to meet Piper's eyes. "Jason, there's nothing here. We're never going to help Percy like this. We should go back to Camp Half Blood, help the campers, be with our friends. It's what Percy would want."

Jason tightened his hold on the book and clenched his jaw. "You don't know that. We have to keep looking. There has to be something, _anything_ , here that could help him. I'm the reason he's down there. It's my fault that he's suffering. I'm not going to just sit around and wait hike he suffers."

Piper knelt next to him and placed a warm hand on his shoulder. "Jason," she whispered, "Please, come back. Percy wouldn't want you to be torturing yourself like this. Please."

Jason slumped into Piper's waiting arms and pressed his face into her shoulder. He let the tears fall as he finally accepted defeat. He couldn't save Percy. He had tried, but he couldn't do it. He had failed. Jason's body shook violently with sobs and he could feel Piper's comforting embrace surrounding him.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: hey everyone. So I'm very disappointed in the lack of reviews I got. I'm going to shoutout the one person who reviewed! Thank you Faulcuem Tano for reviewing and encouraging me to continue writing! Enjoy**

 **Disclaimer: not mine**

 **Chapter 8**

 **Percy's pov**

I wasn't for sure how much time had passed after Kronos left. My blood had stopped flowing from my back a long time ago and it had dried into a crust on the floor beneath me. It's metallic sent filled my nostrils and I could here the slow drip of water echoing around my cell. Ironic isn't it? My strenght, my domain, is literally inches away from me and I can't even use it. Even if I could reach water, it would do me no good. I have no powers over water anymore.

I was too afraid to close my eyes. I couldn't stand to here the voices again, to watch them die all over again. So I stayed awake. I focused on the pain to keep myself from closing my eyes, because the moment I closed my eyes the nightmares would overtake me.

I thought of my friends, of the gods, of my mother. What does she think happens to me? What did the gods tell my mother? Does she know where I am? Somehow I doubt it. The gods are too prideful, too selfish.

What about my friends, the ones who voted for my innocence. I wonder if they are trying to save me, trying to help me. My thoughts sank deeper into a despair as I thought about them. No. They weren't trying to save me. They could try, they would fight, but they wouldn't succeed.

 _Worthless_

I saw Michaels face in my mind, sneering at me. I saw Zöe, glaring at me, yelling about how I couldn't save her. Silena, Charles, Bianca. Yelling, glaring, crying, screaming. Then I started seeing other faces. Thalia, Nico, Leo. Turning their backs on me, saying how I wasn't worth saving.

Tears leaked out of my eyes and cut trails through the blood that had dried on my cheeks. No, my friends wouldn't turn on me like that. They wouldn't.

As I was wallowing in my thoughts, I didn't notice my surrounding change. By the time I did realize, it was already to late. I felt the ground change beneath me and I soon found myself staring at the blood red clouds above me. I was still wrapped tightly in chains and blood was dripping from my wrists onto the dark glass shards that covered the ground.

I heard the roaring of a river and angled my head towards the sound. I was met with a terrible sight. The rivers of the underword. I was on a island surrounded by every river. They all emptied into a large lake that was a mix of the fiery red, cold black, chilling grey, and dulling white of the rivers. What was strange about the scene was the individual rivers entering the lake. Some had multiple types of water while others had just one type.

As I surveyed my surrounding, dread sank deeper and deeper into my mind. Whatever was going to happen wasn't going to be in my favor. "Well little demigod. Do you like the view?"

I whipped my head around and my gaze locked onto Kronos's golden eyes. They glinted dangerously as his face stretched into a cruel smile. "They say the four rivers of the underworld aren't supposed to mix. That if they do, destruction will rain down. They were wrong. When the rivers are mixed it creates a fascinating combination." As he was speaking, Kronos's smile seemed to grow wider and wider with glee. "If you were to step in the lake you would feel many things. Experience many things. You see when you step into the river, you won't die. The Phlegethon makes sure of that. It heals you keeps you alive, while at the same time burns you with its fiery waters."

Kronos was staring at the lake with a sick fascination reflecting in his eyes. "While the Phlegethon burns you, the Cocytus freezes you down to your bones and fills your mind with despair. You lose your hope and love and feel only sorrow and misery. It's a horrible sensation to feel a burning heat and a chilling cold at the same time."

"The River Acheron, or the River of Pain, is truly astonishing. It causing you to feel the worst pains you have ever felt all over your body. It fills your ears with screams of pain and torture."

"Then there is the Lethe. The Lethe would normally wipe your memory clean but combined with the other rivers, it does something a bit different. As the Lethe takes away memories, the Phlegethon restores them. But there is a catch. The Acheron and the Cocytus fill the memories with pain, despair, torture, and hatred. It turns even the good memories into horrible experiences. Truly a wonderful combination."

"The Styx is unique. You see, parts of your body will start to disintegrate and then solidify again because the Phlegethon with heal you. The Achilles Curse will be wiped away with the rivers so all you get out of it is tremendous pain. It really is amazing."

I was staring at the water with horror painting my features. It was eerily beautiful. The way the colors blended together to create and swirling mix. The way it flowed with a power that should never have come together. It was terrifying.

Kronos yanked on my chains and brought his face inches from mine. His eyes were clouded with madness and a sick desire. "Are you ready for a swim?"

I didn't even have time to register what he had just said before I was thrown violently into the waters. I prayed to every god hoping, _begging,_ for help, comfort, anything. Right as I was about to hit the water I felt something warm inside me. Like I was sitting next to a cozy fireplace, relaxing with my friends. Then I hit the water and it was gone in an instant.

It was like nothing I have ever felt before. I was burning then I was frozen. I felt my memories slip away only to come back again with wave after wave of pain. Knives seemed to stab me all over my battered body. I felt my limbs disintegrate in the water and then reform itself. All thoughts all hope were washed away and replaced by despair and misery.

The voices in my head reached an extreme and they screamed in my head. _WEAK, USELESS, MURDERER._ I screamed and thrashed around as I was put through the worst kind of torture imaginable. The only thing that existed was the pain. Just pain and misery. Nothing else existed at that moment.

Just as I thought I couldn't take it anymore, I was tugged out of the lake. I lay on the glass shards of the shore and coughed up river water, still feeling the affects of the water on my mind and body. I faintly heard Kronos muttering to himself. "Yes, yes... That was good but still not enough... we will have to experiment with this... Yes."

I curled in on my self and squeezed my eyes close. I felt pathetic, curled at his feet like that. A small voice in the back of my mind whispered in my ear. _Is this what the hero of Olympus has come to? A sniveling coward?_

As I started to lose consciousness, I watched as the lake churned angrily and crashed onto the shore, as if it was furious that I had been taken from its grasp. My eyes slid closed and maybe, just maybe, I thought I heard a soft whisper in my ear. Someone I knew. Someone who cared. _Perseus. Hold on. I'm here._


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: omg guys!!! I got so much good feedback and reviews that I decided to give you guys the next chapter today!! I wasn't going to post it until Sunday but I just had to thank you guys in some way. Thank you thank you thank you!!!! Please keep reviewing and if possible give me some ideas of stories you would like me to do or some ideas for this story! Now, I present to you! Chapter 9!!**

 **Disclaimer: not mine and never will be**

 **Chapter 9:**

 **Hestia** **pov**

I sat quietly by my hearth, observing as the Olympians fought about Percy. As I tended the gentle, steady flames I listened intently, trying to hear everything at once.

"Just leave him! He's just a little punk!"

"-just a demigod!"

"He's my son!"

"-last decent man!"

I sighed as the arguing escalated into a gigantic shouting match. They've gotten better at being a family of sorts ever since Percy came along but nothing is perfect, not even the gods. Definitely not the gods.

I poked at the coals in the hearth. The fire wasn't as bright as it used to be. The fire is fueled by hope and people are starting to lose hope. The demigods and even so gods have lost much hope due to Percy being sent to Tartarus. It saddens me whenever someone loses hope completely. I can feel when someone gives up. It's like a punch in the gut when someone loses hope.

Suddenly, the coals sputtered and flickered. I stared in shock at the fire. There was only one person that could make it do that... The rest of the gods had fallen silent and were gaping at the hearth, disbelief and confusion written on their faces. Poseidon however was staring at the hearth with a horrified expression on his face. He knew what was happening.

I watched as Poseidon's face drained of color and he started trembling. "Percy..."

The Olympians faces turned to one of horror as they realized what must be happening to make the fire act like this. The coals sparked and my attention snapped back to the hearth. I grabbed my pole and desperately tried to revive the fire, tried to spark some hope in Percy. The fire was going down, burning out.

"No..." Poseidon whispered. "Don't give up Percy. Please, hold on." Poseidon then turned to me and locked his desperate, tear filled eyes with mine. "Please, Hestia. Can't you do anything?" I opened and closed my mouth, wracking my brain for something, _anything,_ that could help Percy. I caught sight of Poseidon's pleading eyes with a small spark of hope. I scrunched up my face in thought as a new thought entered my brain. _Hope...mmmm._

I gestured towards Poseidon to come towards me. He must have seen the light in my eyes because he practically flew over to me. "Sit down," I said quietly. He did and looked at me with readily with an eager expression on his face. "Give me your hands."

He looked at my uncertainty for a moment but gave me his hands. I held them and closed my eyes. I let his salty scent fill my nostrils and I felt the roughness of his hands. I let myself be consumed by his entire being and felt myself connect. Percy. I could _feel_ him. Experience what he is feeling right now.

A wave of pain overtook me and I gasped. My face twisted into a look of agony and I cried out. So much pain. So much. He was hurting. I had to help. I tried to transfer some of my energy into him. It must have worked because I felt his pain lessen slightly and my face relaxed slightly. I could feel Poseidon's hands clutching mine tightly, almost breaking the fragile bones.

I heard the hearth grow slightly in power and warmth. It was working. I had done it. I let my grip on Poseidon's hands relax slightly. "Hestia?"

I opened my eyes and met Poseidon's sea green orbs. Just like Percy's. He stared at me intently. "Did it work?"

I smiled and relaxed my body. It was ok. It worked. "Yes-" My sentence was cut short and I hunched over as if I had been sucker punched. I scrunched my eyes shut and cried out. The pain. The agony. It hurt _so_ much. The fire turned black and died, leaving only a few slightly red coals.

Then suddenly, I wasn't in the throne room anymore. I was in water. Something about the liquid was strange, though. Not like normal water. It was a combination of red, grey, black, and white. It was evil, menacing.

I looked down at myself and saw that I wasn't wet. I was perfectly dry. It was as if I wasn't really here, just seeing in my mind. Something about the waters seemed familiar, though, and I thought I should know what it is.

Movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I angled myself towards it and willed myself forward. As I got closer, the figure became more clear. My face turned to one of horror and I reeled back in shock. It was Percy. He had chains wrapped tightly around his body and he was thrashing wildly in the water as if he couldn't breath, which shouldn't be possible. His face was twisted in agony and his mouth was open in a silent scream, bubbles streaming from his nose and mouth.

We were in the lake of the underworld. It was a place very few know about and incredibly dangerous. A place where all the rivers of the underworld come together in one lake. Something that never should have happened. And Percy has to be the one to endure its horrors.

It was horrible to see Percy like this. He was always so strong, never showing when he was in pain. The look of pure pain etched on his face completely broke me. I tried to wrap my arms around him and stop his pain, but my arms just passed right through him. Tears were steaming down my face as I tried to comfort him, tried to do anything that could help. In the end I just sat back and watched, tears making their way down my face. I couldn't even give him hope; the Cocytus prevents him from feeling anything but despair.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Percy was pulled from the water and dropped unceremoniously into the black shore. I followed and stepped on the shore. I saw Kronos standing over the shivering form of Percy, muttering to himself.

I rushed over to Percy and knelt beside him. I tried to cup his cheek but my hand passed through him. I settled for just being close to him and trying to transfer some of my power into him, to give him some hope.

I felt us connect minds and I could tell he was on the verge of unconscious. I spoke to him. Just his name over band over again in his mind. I saw his face relax and I knew that he had heard me. I spoke one last time before he lost consciousness. _Perseus. Hold on. I'm here._ I saw his mouth form a small smile as his eyes slid closed.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: hello my friends! This chapter was kind of hard to write because I didn't know how to start. I finished it so it's all good! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed/favorited my story!**

 **Disclaimer: not mine. All ricks**

 **Chapter 10**

 **Percy pov**

I don't know how long I've been down here in Tartarus. Days, months, years, they all seemed to blend together. At first, I tried to keep track of the time depending on torture sessions with Kronos. That soon became unreliable because he would start to come sooner than normal or wouldn't come for a very long time.

I eventually gave up on trying to track the time. It didn't matter anyway. Kronos did something to me. Something horrible. It was like immortality but not. Whatever he did to me wouldn't kill me, but anything else could. I guess that's why he was always the one to come for my torture sessions.

It was hard to stay positive in a place like this and most of the time I retreat inside my mind, trying to hide from the pain. Most of the time it worked, but eventually I would have to come out and face the agony. It was horrible, being in pain every second of every day. I would have lost my mind ages ago if not for the voice.

You see, there's a voice in my head that talks to me and I talk back. Or I try to. I don't know if it actually hears me or not but I feel like it understands me. The voice, it sounds like an angle. It's soft and comforting and feels like home. I don't know if I'm just crazy or if I'm just desperate, but the voice is the only thing keeping my hope alive and my sanity intact.

The voice, it seems to almost fill my soul with newfound hope. It talks about my times in the upper world playing pranks on other cabins, sitting around the camp fire, the smell of my mothers blue chocolate chip cookies. It gave me a sense of home.

Ever since the voice came, the whispers in my head had faded to almost nothing, as if the voice drove them away. I rarely heard them anymore and if I did, the voice was always there to protect me against their words.

Kronos's torture sessions didn't bother me as long as the voice was there with me. When I was with the voice, I almost didn't notice the bloodstained walls, the rusty chains, the sting of a knife or whip. As long as I had the voice, the pain wouldn't bother me.

Sometimes, though, there were times when the voice wasn't with me. When I couldn't hear it, the pain would come back. I would scream and scream until my voice was raw and scratched. Then, when it was over, I would watch as Kronos would walk out of the room, mumbling about how it still wasn't enough power.

I would hang in my chains, blood dripping from some part of my body. Sometimes, Kronos would get creative and carve words or pictures into my flesh. They would heal, leaving white lines on my skin tracing a picture or word.

Always, after every torture session, Kronos would bring a tub of lake water to dump on me after the session was done. Even though I didn't have power over water I was still Poseidon's son and the water knew that. It would heal me but in the most painful way possible.

The water always drowned out the voice and I was in a state of madness and pain for the moments the water touched my skin. Then, when the water had dried, the voice would come back and soothe my pain. It would whisper comforting words in my hear, giving me strenght and courage.

The voice was my only source of happiness and hope in this hellish place. Tartarus was meant to heal and revive monsters. It was meant to kill demigods and anything else that wondered into it's depths.

As time went on, I could sense Kronos's anger and frustration growing. He would come in everyday angrier than the last with a new, more painful form of torture. The more pain there was, the harder it was to hear the voice and without the voice, I would lose everything.

Just then, the door opened and in walked Kronos. I searched his hands and saw that there was nothing in them. No knives, no whips, no poison. Nothing. He leaned against the wall and regarded me with his cruel golden eyes. I eyed him carefully, waiting for the expected pain that was sooner or later going to come.

For a few moments he just stared at me. I stared back at him defiantly. Ever since the whispers left, I had regained some of my original confidence. I wasn't the same person I used to be, not by a long shot, but there was some of that guy still alive.

Finally, Kronos moved from his position by the wall and moved to stand directly in front of me, never breaking his gaze on me. His eyes were unreadable, unnerving. I shifted slightly in my chains.

Then, he started to speak. "Ever since I claimed you, I have been trying to find a way to use your pain as my power." Kronos started pacing the length of the cell, his eyes never leaving mine. "In a way, it worked. I have been gaining strength, retaining my power. But it's not enough. Almost as soon as your pain stops, the power is gone. It's infuriating, to have that power in you grasp and for it to slip away."

"I was obsessed with trying to find the perfect kind of pain to give me upmost power. I wanted to be undefeatable, unstoppable. I used whips, knives, lake water, poisons, anything you could think of. That was where I realized my mistake."

Kronos stopped pacing and stood in the center of the cell, eyes blazing with a crazed light. "I was only using one type of pain. Physical pain. There is another type of pain that is considered much worse by many. I was a fool not to think of it before."

At this, Kronos started to smile. "Emotional and mental pain. The worst kind of pain. For some, it doesn't bother them as much. But with you, it would be excruciating. With your fatal flaw and your love for your friends and family, this kind of pain is the worst in existence."

My breathing quickened slightly and I squirmed under his intense gaze. Kronos watched and me spoke in a soft voice. "There will be no torture today. But I do have something for you." Kronos raised his hands in front his him and snapped his fingers once, loud and clear. A small, silver ball appeared in his hands and glowed softly.

Kronos raised the ball and held it in front of me. "Do you know what this is?" When I didn't answer he continued. "It's a dream ball. Not a very dignified name but it'll do. This is Morpheus's creation, god of dreams. I stole it from him during the war while you were preoccupied with my army. Do you want to know what this ball does?" Again I refused to answer. "This ball forces you to relieve all of your worst memories and makes them ten times worse. But that's not the best part. I modified it to do something more. This ball will force you to watch as each of your friends betray you over and over again."

"For most people, it would cause them to go insane. Some people aren't even affected. For you, it would be like the worst type of torture. So many different things could happen to you. Honesty I can't wait to see what happens."

I heard the voice in my head, speaking to me in a rushed voice. I struggled more forcefully against my chains. If that ball touched me... Kronos brought the ball to my bare chest and held it mere inches from my skin. My eyes grew wide and my breathing turned ragged. Kronos smirked. Without warning, Kronos shoved the silver ball right into my chest.

I gasped and hunched as much as I could in my bindings. A coldness spread through my body and my vision started to fade. Faintly I heard Kronos whisper in my ear. "Sweet dreams little demigod." His sick laughter faded as I felt myself drift away into the realm of Morpheus.


	11. Chapter 11

Ever since Percy had been sent to Tartarus, the Olympians have taken to having monthly meetings, discussing their children's latest activities, happenings around the world, and monster appearances around the world. Sometimes the seven, Nico, Thalia, and ,occasionally, Grover would attend these meetings and offer their input or observe silently.

This meeting's topic was, not surprisingly, Percy. No matter what, at every meeting they would always discuss their hero in Tartarus. The gods were constantly searching for signs of his doings or making sure he was still alive. Hades kept a close eye on new souls that entered his realm, searching for a familiar face.

The demigods could do little to contribute to the search of Percy's current status and would instead cling onto the hope that their hero would return to them. Jason, along with Piper, continued to search every inch of the library for any scrap of information that might be able to help Percy. Nowadays, Jason's hair was wild and dirty. His eyes were sunken and had dark crescent moons framing them. He was extremely thin and only ate when Piper forced him to. His friends were worried about what would happen when he ran out of books to scout for a scrap of useful information.

Thalia and Nico constantly shadowtraveled to the underworld and got as close to the entrance of the pit as they dared to search for Percy. They went there every day, hoping beyond belief to see the familiar jet black hair and sea green eyes appear over the edge. They would stay there for hours on end, waiting for what might never come. They would even speak to the pit, offering words of comfort or just talking about everyday life, clinging onto the hope that Percy could hear them or possibly respond. As the days went on, their hope started to dwindle, but they continued to come down to the pit every day without fail.

Out of all of Percy's friends, Grover was suffering the worst. His empathy link with Percy caused him to experience every feeling, every torture that Percy was going through. He didn't feel the pain to the same extent, but he was still in constant agony. After the gods realized what the empathy link meant, they all kept close eyes on Grover's health. Empathy links bind two people together. So if Percy dies, Grover dies. As long as Grover was still alive, there was still hope.

Hestia was also a source of hope for Percy. She was the only one who could enter his mind and speak with Percy. Hestia rarely left her fire and almost always had her eyes closed with a look of concentration set on her face. Even during meetings, she hardly moved from her position. Every once in a while she would give the Olympians updates on what's happening with Percy but otherwise she didn't speak. There were times, however, where her face would become panicked and desperate. It was times like these when the gods would hold their breathe, stopping whatever they were doing and instead focusing on Hestia's silent struggle. When her face would relax into relief, the gods would release their breathe and continue on, throwing worried glances at Hestia ever once in a while.

During meetings, Percy's friends would constantly steal glances at Hestia, looking for any hint of what Percy may be going through. Aside from the occasional shifts in facial expressions, nothing seemed to be wrong. So at one meeting when Hestia suddenly yelled out in pain, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared fearfully at her.

The entire Olympian consol along with Thalia, Nico, and Grover were gathered in the throne room discussing the latest monster attacks, but when they heard Hestia's cry they fell dead silent. They watched in horror as Hestia fell foreword onto her hands and clenched her mouth tightly. Earlier on in the meeting, Hestia had been murmuring frantically under her breathe and the gods had been keeping a close eye on her, but they weren't prepared for this.

Hestia was on all fours in front of her hearth and tears of pain leaked from her eyes and raced sown her cheeks. Her mouth was open in a silent scream as she stared eyes glazed over with pain at the floor. The hearth behind her died down until only a few glowing red coals remained.

Thalia suddenly gasped as Grover let out a soft moan and crumpled to the ground. Thalia dives for Grover and just managed to catch him before his head connected with the ground. Thalia shifted so that Grover's head was resting in her lap and she immediately began searching for signs of life, whether it be a pulse or a flicker of the eyes. Thalia glanced desperately at Nico, silently asking the question everyone wanted to ask that had an answer no one wanted to hear.

Nico's face became concentrated and his eyebrows knit together as he tried to focus on Grover's soul. Just when Nico's expression turned to one of panic, just when Thalia felt tears begin to fill her eyes, Grover's eyes flickered slightly. Thalia released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Sweat was soaking through Grover's shirt and rolling off his face, slicking his hair back. His face was scrunched up in pain and his eyes were moving wildly beneath his eye lids. The gods were frozen in place, trying to watch both Grover and Hestia simultaneously.

Everything was silent. Thalia barely even breathed as she and the gods gazed fearfully at Grover and Hestia, watching for anything that could give them clues as to what was happening to their hero. Just as suddenly as it started, the silence was erupted by two ear splitting screams. Thalia immediately moved to cover her ears to try and block the horrible sound and out of the corner of her eye she saw Nico collapse to the ground with his hands pressed into the sides of his head, but it was no use. The screams slipped right through her fingers and penetrated her ear drums. The pain was worse than anything she had ever felt before, and it wasn't just physical pain, it was emotional too.

Hestia's scream combined with Grover's created a mental knife that stabbed into her brain, twisting and burying itself deeper and deeper inside her head. When Grover screamed, he must have been feeling so much distress that he used Panic, Pan's scream. That alone would have crippled her. But Panic combined with Hestia's scream very well almost killed her. Hestia's scream, being a god, wasn't a normal scream. When she screamed, all of the feelings of hope, happiness, and comfort seemed to drain out of Thalia's body, leaving behind a mind filled with terror and despair.

When the screams finally died away, Thalia cautiously removed her hands from her ears. Her hands were painted red with blood and she could feel more of it running down the side of her face. Thalia lifted her gaze from her hands to find the gods with various expressions pain stamped on their faces. The gods, being gods, weren't affected physically but that didn't stop them from feeling the emotional pain. Poseidon was kneeling in front of his throne, mouth gaping, tears pouring down his face. His face was set in a constant state of horror and sorrow as he kneel lifelessly in front of his throne, the only sign of life being the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Nico was curled into a small ball on the smooth floor with his hands still planted firmly to the sides of his head. She watched as he slowly took his hands away and relaxed his body so that he was laying on the ground in a more natural position. When he pushed himself into a sitting position, he left a bloody hand print imprinted on the floor.

The screams continued to bounce off the walls of the throne room, slowly fading into oblivion. A movement by the hearth stole her attention away from Poseidon and Nico towards Hestia, who was struggling to sit up and letting out small pained groans. Hearing Hestia's groans, both Poseidon and Apollo managed to snap out of their stupors and rushed to assist Hestia. Thalia watched as they gently lifted Hestia and settled her in a more comfortable position next to the dying hearth. Once she was settled Apollo immediately set to work, healing everything he could find.

As Apollo tended to Hestia, Thalia returned her attention to Grover, who's head was still cradled in her lap. Her once hopeful face melted away when she saw that he was barely even moving except for a slight rise and fall of his chest. Grover's face was scrunched up in a silent scream of agony and his eyes moved frantically underneath his eye lids. Nico crawled over and sat next to Thalia, his gaze flickering from Grover to his father constantly.

"It's Percy." At the sound of Hestia's raspy voice Thalia snapped her head around so fast that she could feel her bones and muscles protesting at the sudden movement. Hestia's face was pale and her eyes were puffy from the tears that were still coursing down her cheeks in a steady stream. Poseidon was supporting her and the hearth at her feet seemed to become dimmer and dimmer by the second. To Thalia, it seemed that the dimmer the coals got, the smaller Hestia appeared. Hestia looked like she might break apart at the slightest touch, nothing like the childlike, joyous goddess she used to be.

Thalia and Nico unconsciously reached for each others hand, trying to draw strength from the other. They clutched each other like a lifeline as they stared with fearful expressions at Hestia who was staring right back at them with a tortured look in her eyes. Hestia's mouth open and closed, as if she was struggling to find the words to speak. When she finally could speak, the words she spoke chilled Thalia to the bone. "Percy. He-he's gone."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: hey guys! Soooooooo... here's the next chapter. Let's just skip all my excuses and your death threats and get to the story, yes? Don't forget to review!**

At first, there was only darkness. It seemed to press down on me, suffocating me. I squeezed my eyes shut and curled my knees to my chest. I don't like the darkness, I can't handle small spaces. To make things even worse, the voices are coming back stronger than ever. They're screaming in my head, causing every other thought to run away and break apart. I search my head frantically for the Voice, but I can't find it. I can't find the soft, warm voice that would help me. I can't find the voice that would stay with me and give me hope. It was gone. My eyes filled with tears as I realized that I was truly and utterly alone. It was just me and these damn voices in my head, always screaming.

As fast as it came, the darkness was gone. Light pierced my eyes and I quickly squeezed them shut, putting a hand up to cover my face. I heard laughter and chatter in the distance and a soft summer wind blew through my hair. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I slowly started opening them to observe my surrounding. I was in Camp Half Blood.

But that was impossible. I was supposed to be in Tartarus, I was supposed to be in that hell being tortured. How did I get here? Then I remembered: Kronos. He had the silver dream ball. He pushed it in me. He did something to me. What was the point of all this? Why bring me hear?

My thoughts were so disoriented that I couldn't grasp onto the why's or where's or who's for more than a few seconds. It was strange, though. The voices in my head had gone silent, as if they were anticipating what was coming next.

As I looked around, I could almost convince myself that I _was_ in Camp Half Blood. Everything just felt so real. I could hear the wind blowing through the trees, causing the leaves to rustle gently and the birds to fly in the air. I could feel the soft green grass under my bare feet, tickling the soft skin. I let my eyes slide close and tilted my face towards the sun, letting myself feel the warmth envelope me fro the first time in what felt like years.

But wait. No. This was wrong. My eyes snap open and I scan my surroundings suspiciously. I'm supposed to be in Tartarus. I'm supposed to be getting _tortured_ right now. What kind of trick is this? This must be a nightmare, a new kind of torture. The dream ball, this must be what it does. It shows you what you what you want most, something you could never have.

But it seems so _real_. I can feel the wind, the grass, the sun. I can small the strawberries and the ocean. I can hear the campers mulling around the cabins, at the beach, playing volleyball, training. I can hear my _friends._ I hear their voices carrying over the wind. Jason, Leo, Hazel, _Annabeth._ I search frantically, forgetting for a moment that this isn't real, it's just a dream. But I had to see them, I had to see her.

That's when I spot her. Down there, by the amphitheater. I see her golden blonde hair, loose in its princess curls. I could hear her laugh, sweet as music. Before I knew what I was doing, I was running. I had to get to her, touch her again, make sure she was real. "Annabeth!"

She spun around and her beautiful grey eyes caught mine. Her face broke into the most beautiful smile and I pushed myself faster and faster. She waited until I slowed to a stop in front of her and brought her hand up to my cheek, cupping my face gently. He touch sent shivers down my spine and I leaned into her hand, bringing up my own hand to cover hers. She was real. She was here. I'm safe.

"Oh Percy." I open my eyes to bring them to her face. She wore a sad expression, as if she knew something I didn't. "You were never safe." My smile fell off my face and and pulled away from her hands. Her arms remained outstretched for a moment, as if waiting for me to return to her. When I didn't she slowly lowered her hand and smiled sadly.

The sky turned dark and the trees turned black and bare. The oceans waves become dark with pollution and the grass turned brown. My breathing became shallow gasps as I watched my home crumble to ash. And, just as suddenly, the campers started crumbling. Their skin would crumble away, leaving behind black bones that would fall the the ground, breaking on impact.

"Percy." I brought my eyes back to Annabeth, my friends. "No..." Their bodies were disappearing before my eyes. Gone were their smiles and laughs, instead there was only hatred and scorn. Aimed at me. "You did this to us. You didn't save save us. Why didn't you save us?!"

"No, no. I did, I kept you safe I saved you. No, please." Annabeth just glared at me, disgust in her eyes. "You failed." Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, Grover, Thalia, Nico, Frank. All of them. Piles of broken, black bones. Then it was just Annabeth. And me.

I searched her eyes and found no sign of remorse or fear. She studied me, looking me up and down before sneering. "Pathetic." Then, she too wasted away until only a small pile of bones. "No, no, no. This isn't real, this is a dream. Wake up, wake UP!" I clutched my head between my hands and squeezed my eyes tight. This isn't real, this isn't real. It's a nightmare.

The voices that were once so quiet suddenly came back in full force, slamming inside my head, filling my ears with lies. UNWANTED. FAILER. WEAK.

Louder and louder. It was too much. I fell to my knees and screamed. I screamed and screamed, trying to block out the images, the voices. I screamed until blood leaked out of the corners of my mouth and my eyes rolled back in my head. Then it was only darkness once again.


End file.
